Water Crisis: Day 3

Trinidad is currently experiencing one the worst droughts in recent history, and everyone is really beginning to feel it. Our neighborhood is in day 3 without water delivery, so we are starting to get creative. This is how it is supposed to work...we get water delivered on Mondays and Fridays and during those deliveries our two large water tanks also get filled up. We then use the tanks for water the rest of the week, which has generally worked well. We have a water curfew so at 9pm the water from the tanks is shut off to the house and if you need to brush your teeth or wash dishes after 9, you use water that you've saved back in water bottles for such an occasion. It is amazing how much I've taken available water for granted at home. There is not a second thought that when you turn on the faucet, water will come out. Right now water coming out of the faucet is like striking gold. And I should really not complain because we at least get water delivered sometimes, there are parts of the country that haven't seen water running in their taps for months. They pay for water trucks to deliver water or pay to pump water out of a local steam (this is on top of the water tax they pay for getting no water delivered!).

I haven't gotten to our water crisis part...Thurs morning our tanks went dry, which sucks but no biggie, we'd get water on Friday and use our saved bottles of water. Friday morning, no water. We called the water authority who said we'd get it by noon. Friday afternoon, no water. We called the water authority who said we' have it sometime in the evening. Saturday morning, no water. I only had about half of a big water bottle left on Friday night, but luckily Dr. Logie brought some water from work. We're getting creative today, she is going out to fill some more bottles and then we are going to take a trip to shower at the University tonight. Again, the water authority said they'd be by today, but we haven't seen any sign of them yet. They give you a water number and if someone isn't home with that number ready...you are out of luck. I'm on water duty right now and waiting for the truck is exhausting. Every time I hear a car pass by I run to the door and look out. If it sounds like a big truck, which it seems like everything does, I walk outside to try and find it because missing it would mean another 2 days without water. We really are spoiled at home...

Since it is so dry here the fires have been terrible. The entire hill side near my house is brown and burnt. All you see is dirt and tree stumps. It seems like there is new smoke every day and the fires are creeping closer to the neighborhoods. As more areas burn the chances for mudslides during the rainy season keeps increasing. You just can't win with mother nature!

So here are a few pictures for you...


Not the best picture, but you can see that the land is bare and there are just stumps sticking up. You used to only see green leaves on this hill...


This fire was in an area that I run in quite often, so it is a 2 minute walk from my door. That is a little close for comfort.


Sugar cane! A friend from church gave me a bunch of sugar cane. It looks like bamboo really and you peel off outer part then suck on the inside. It was really good, who would guess it tastes pretty much like eating sugar! I have way more than I could ever eat!


This is Mum eating some of the sugar cane, she grew up in the country so knew how to cut it without slicing up her hands (which I probably would've done!). She said she hasn't had any in years though.


This is me with a few of the girls from the Easter Concert cast after the show on Thursday. It was really great to get to know them a little better, everyone from the group was so nice!